Reviews

Tell Me Pleasant Things about Immortality: Stories by Lindsay Wong

redheadreading's review against another edition

Read the first two stories which have some cool ideas in, the gross horror aspect is just not really my thing and I know that increases throughout the collection.

teanahk's review against another edition

dark

5.0

Imagine your sleep paralysis demons got together and tried to write a collection of bedtime stories. 
This isn’t exactly that, but has the same vibes. A fascinating bundle of very dark twisted scenes. 

lene_kretzsch's review against another edition

DNF at 40% 

Wong is undoubtedly talented and the imagery here is vivid but I couldn't connect with the voice and the stories I read felt underdeveloped while simultaneously being grossly overdelineated. There was no subtlety here and little depth. Just not for me but I suspect other readers will like this collection a great deal more. 

wenwanzhao's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Horror is not generally my thing, so I had to avoid reading this at night, but despite my scaredy cat nature, I loved this anthology. Lindsay Wong’s writing is so honest and specific. The narrators in this anthology are often beaten and fucked up, hurt by their truly shitty circumstances. Wong isn’t afraid to make her characters come off as absolute assholes. But even though it seems like everyone sucks, their humanity still manages to shine through. As a reader, I could find myself being sympathetic to even the worst narrators. That’s a testament to the quality and sharpness of Wong’s writing. She’s smart and she’s good at making you feel a certain kind of way. Really enjoyed it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Cannibalism, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Drug use, Incest, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: War, Trafficking, Body horror, Child death, Transphobia, and Violence

poppunktrashhh's review against another edition

dark funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

savvylit's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Every single story in this collection was a creepy delight. Lindsay Wong is an undeniably brilliant short story crafter. The stories in Tell Me Pleasant Things About Immortality are both well-paced and complete; a feat that many short stories often fail to achieve.

Throughout this collection, Wong's authorial voice is sharp and often hilarious. There's one story in particular, "Sorry, Sister Eunice," about a judgemental college sorority populated by nine-tail fox demons in human disguise that made me laugh out loud multiple times. Other stories are more poignant, such as "Furniture," in which a young woman's parents transform into literal furniture when they feel deeply depressed and ashamed.

I could honestly go on and on about Tell Me Pleasant Things About Immortality and why I loved it so much. Instead, I'll just say that I think you should read this!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Racism, Racial slurs, Child death, Grief, Sexual assault, and Child abuse

mcooper's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

2.0

It's booked as a darkly funny horror, but I didn't find it very funny, and the stories were often more cruel or gross than they are scary

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

cozyinthenook's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

lizlikesfrogs's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.75

blundershelf's review

these stories ARE good, just a bit too gruesome for me